Optimization Methods for Logical Inference

Optimization Methods for Logical Inference
Author: Vijay Chandru
Publisher: John Wiley & Sons
Total Pages: 386
Release: 2011-09-26
Genre: Mathematics
ISBN: 1118031415

Merging logic and mathematics in deductive inference-an innovative, cutting-edge approach. Optimization methods for logical inference? Absolutely, say Vijay Chandru and John Hooker, two major contributors to this rapidly expanding field. And even though "solving logical inference problems with optimization methods may seem a bit like eating sauerkraut with chopsticks. . . it is the mathematical structure of a problem that determines whether an optimization model can help solve it, not the context in which the problem occurs." Presenting powerful, proven optimization techniques for logic inference problems, Chandru and Hooker show how optimization models can be used not only to solve problems in artificial intelligence and mathematical programming, but also have tremendous application in complex systems in general. They survey most of the recent research from the past decade in logic/optimization interfaces, incorporate some of their own results, and emphasize the types of logic most receptive to optimization methods-propositional logic, first order predicate logic, probabilistic and related logics, logics that combine evidence such as Dempster-Shafer theory, rule systems with confidence factors, and constraint logic programming systems. Requiring no background in logic and clearly explaining all topics from the ground up, Optimization Methods for Logical Inference is an invaluable guide for scientists and students in diverse fields, including operations research, computer science, artificial intelligence, decision support systems, and engineering.

Logic-Based Methods for Optimization

Logic-Based Methods for Optimization
Author: John Hooker
Publisher: Wiley-Interscience
Total Pages: 528
Release: 2000-05-30
Genre: Mathematics
ISBN:

"Logic-Based Methods for Optimization develops for the first time a comprehensive conceptual framework for integrating optimization and constraint satisfaction, then goes a step further and shows how extending logical inference to optimization allows for more powerful as well as flexible modeling and solution techniques. Designed to be easily accessible to industry professionals and academics in both operations research and artificial intelligence, the book provides a wealth of examples as well as elegant techniques and modeling frameworks ready for implementation."--BOOK JACKET.

Logic-Based Methods for Optimization

Logic-Based Methods for Optimization
Author: John Hooker
Publisher: John Wiley & Sons
Total Pages: 520
Release: 2011-09-28
Genre: Mathematics
ISBN: 1118031288

A pioneering look at the fundamental role of logic in optimizationand constraint satisfaction While recent efforts to combine optimization and constraintsatisfaction have received considerable attention, little has beensaid about using logic in optimization as the key to unifying thetwo fields. Logic-Based Methods for Optimization develops for thefirst time a comprehensive conceptual framework for integratingoptimization and constraint satisfaction, then goes a step furtherand shows how extending logical inference to optimization allowsfor more powerful as well as flexible modeling and solutiontechniques. Designed to be easily accessible to industryprofessionals and academics in both operations research andartificial intelligence, the book provides a wealth of examples aswell as elegant techniques and modeling frameworks ready forimplementation. Timely, original, and thought-provoking,Logic-Based Methods for Optimization: * Demonstrates the advantages of combining the techniques inproblem solving * Offers tutorials in constraint satisfaction/constraintprogramming and logical inference * Clearly explains such concepts as relaxation, cutting planes,nonserial dynamic programming, and Bender's decomposition * Reviews the necessary technologies for software developersseeking to combine the two techniques * Features extensive references to important computationalstudies * And much more

Optimization and Computational Logic

Optimization and Computational Logic
Author: Kenneth McAloon
Publisher: Wiley-Interscience
Total Pages: 562
Release: 1996-09-14
Genre: Business & Economics
ISBN:

This book/software package uniquely integrates logic and operations research. Its broad coverage provides concepts, templates, and the tools for the task of attacking difficult problems which are repeatedly encountered in decision making. The first part deals with linear programming and the second with search techniques for combinatorially hard problems. The applications discussed include product mix problems, pattern recognition, classical and probabilistic logic, financial planning, and expert systems.

Integrated Methods for Optimization

Integrated Methods for Optimization
Author: John N. Hooker
Publisher: Springer Science & Business Media
Total Pages: 655
Release: 2011-11-13
Genre: Business & Economics
ISBN: 146141900X

The first edition of Integrated Methods for Optimization was published in January 2007. Because the book covers a rapidly developing field, the time is right for a second edition. The book provides a unified treatment of optimization methods. It brings ideas from mathematical programming (MP), constraint programming (CP), and global optimization (GO)into a single volume. There is no reason these must be learned as separate fields, as they normally are, and there are three reasons they should be studied together. (1) There is much in common among them intellectually, and to a large degree they can be understood as special cases of a single underlying solution technology. (2) A growing literature reports how they can be profitably integrated to formulate and solve a wide range of problems. (3) Several software packages now incorporate techniques from two or more of these fields. The book provides a unique resource for graduate students and practitioners who want a well-rounded background in optimization methods within a single course of study. Engineering students are a particularly large potential audience, because engineering optimization problems often benefit from a combined approach—particularly where design, scheduling, or logistics are involved. The text is also of value to those studying operations research, because their educational programs rarely cover CP, and to those studying computer science and artificial intelligence (AI), because their curric ula typically omit MP and GO. The text is also useful for practitioners in any of these areas who want to learn about another, because it provides a more concise and accessible treatment than other texts. The book can cover so wide a range of material because it focuses on ideas that arerelevant to the methods used in general-purpose optimization and constraint solvers. The book focuses on ideas behind the methods that have proved useful in general-purpose optimization and constraint solvers, as well as integrated solvers of the present and foreseeable future. The second edition updates results in this area and includes several major new topics: Background material in linear, nonlinear, and dynamic programming. Network flow theory, due to its importance in filtering algorithms. A chapter on generalized duality theory that more explicitly develops a unifying primal-dual algorithmic structure for optimization methods. An extensive survey of search methods from both MP and AI, using the primal-dual framework as an organizing principle. Coverage of several additional global constraints used in CP solvers. The book continues to focus on exact as opposed to heuristic methods. It is possible to bring heuristic methods into the unifying scheme described in the book, and the new edition will retain the brief discussion of how this might be done.

Theory of Computational Complexity

Theory of Computational Complexity
Author: Ding-Zhu Du
Publisher: John Wiley & Sons
Total Pages: 517
Release: 2014-06-30
Genre: Mathematics
ISBN: 1118306082

Praise for the First Edition "... complete, up-to-date coverage of computational complexity theory...the book promises to become the standard reference on computational complexity." —Zentralblatt MATH A thorough revision based on advances in the field of computational complexity and readers’ feedback, the Second Edition of Theory of Computational Complexity presents updates to the principles and applications essential to understanding modern computational complexity theory. The new edition continues to serve as a comprehensive resource on the use of software and computational approaches for solving algorithmic problems and the related difficulties that can be encountered. Maintaining extensive and detailed coverage, Theory of Computational Complexity, Second Edition, examines the theory and methods behind complexity theory, such as computational models, decision tree complexity, circuit complexity, and probabilistic complexity. The Second Edition also features recent developments on areas such as NP-completeness theory, as well as: A new combinatorial proof of the PCP theorem based on the notion of expander graphs, a research area in the field of computer science Additional exercises at varying levels of difficulty to further test comprehension of the presented material End-of-chapter literature reviews that summarize each topic and offer additional sources for further study Theory of Computational Complexity, Second Edition, is an excellent textbook for courses on computational theory and complexity at the graduate level. The book is also a useful reference for practitioners in the fields of computer science, engineering, and mathematics who utilize state-of-the-art software and computational methods to conduct research.

Sorting

Sorting
Author: Hosam M. Mahmoud
Publisher: John Wiley & Sons
Total Pages: 414
Release: 2011-10-14
Genre: Mathematics
ISBN: 111803113X

A cutting-edge look at the emerging distributional theory of sorting Research on distributions associated with sorting algorithms has grown dramatically over the last few decades, spawning many exact and limiting distributions of complexity measures for many sorting algorithms. Yet much of this information has been scattered in disparate and highly specialized sources throughout the literature. In Sorting: A Distribution Theory, leading authority Hosam Mahmoud compiles, consolidates, and clarifies the large volume of available research, providing a much-needed, comprehensive treatment of the entire emerging distributional theory of sorting. Mahmoud carefully constructs a logical framework for the analysis of all standard sorting algorithms, focusing on the development of the probability distributions associated with the algorithms, as well as other issues in probability theory such as measures of concentration and rates of convergence. With an emphasis on narrative rather than technical explanations, this exceptionally well-written book makes new results easily accessible to a broad spectrum of readers, including computer professionals, scientists, mathematicians, and engineers. Sorting: A Distribution Theory: * Contains introductory material on complete and partial sorting * Explains insertion sort, quick sort, and merge sort, among other methods * Offers verbal descriptions of the mechanics of the algorithms as well as the necessary code * Illustrates the distribution theory of sorting using a broad array of both classical and modern techniques * Features a variety of end-of-chapter exercises

Graph Edge Coloring

Graph Edge Coloring
Author: Michael Stiebitz
Publisher: John Wiley & Sons
Total Pages: 344
Release: 2012-02-27
Genre: Mathematics
ISBN: 1118205561

Features recent advances and new applications in graph edgecoloring Reviewing recent advances in the Edge Coloring Problem, GraphEdge Coloring: Vizing's Theorem and Goldberg's Conjectureprovides an overview of the current state of the science,explaining the interconnections among the results obtained fromimportant graph theory studies. The authors introduce many newimproved proofs of known results to identify and point to possiblesolutions for open problems in edge coloring. The book begins with an introduction to graph theory and theconcept of edge coloring. Subsequent chapters explore importanttopics such as: Use of Tashkinov trees to obtain an asymptotic positive solutionto Goldberg's conjecture Application of Vizing fans to obtain both known and newresults Kierstead paths as an alternative to Vizing fans Classification problem of simple graphs Generalized edge coloring in which a color may appear more thanonce at a vertex This book also features first-time English translations of twogroundbreaking papers written by Vadim Vizing on an estimate of thechromatic class of a p-graph and the critical graphs within a givenchromatic class. Written by leading experts who have reinvigorated research inthe field, Graph Edge Coloring is an excellent book formathematics, optimization, and computer science courses at thegraduate level. The book also serves as a valuable reference forresearchers interested in discrete mathematics, graph theory,operations research, theoretical computer science, andcombinatorial optimization.

Graph Theory

Graph Theory
Author: Russell Merris
Publisher: John Wiley & Sons
Total Pages: 258
Release: 2011-09-20
Genre: Mathematics
ISBN: 1118031296

A lively invitation to the flavor, elegance, and power of graph theory This mathematically rigorous introduction is tempered and enlivened by numerous illustrations, revealing examples, seductive applications, and historical references. An award-winning teacher, Russ Merris has crafted a book designed to attract and engage through its spirited exposition, a rich assortment of well-chosen exercises, and a selection of topics that emphasizes the kinds of things that can be manipulated, counted, and pictured. Intended neither to be a comprehensive overview nor an encyclopedic reference, this focused treatment goes deeply enough into a sufficiently wide variety of topics to illustrate the flavor, elegance, and power of graph theory. Another unique feature of the book is its user-friendly modular format. Following a basic foundation in Chapters 1-3, the remainder of the book is organized into four strands that can be explored independently of each other. These strands center, respectively, around matching theory; planar graphs and hamiltonian cycles; topics involving chordal graphs and oriented graphs that naturally emerge from recent developments in the theory of graphic sequences; and an edge coloring strand that embraces both Ramsey theory and a self-contained introduction to Pólya's enumeration of nonisomorphic graphs. In the edge coloring strand, the reader is presumed to be familiar with the disjoint cycle factorization of a permutation. Otherwise, all prerequisites for the book can be found in a standard sophomore course in linear algebra. The independence of strands also makes Graph Theory an excellent resource for mathematicians who require access to specific topics without wanting to read an entire book on the subject.